Vermont Business Magazine The third annual FreshTracks Road Pitch, a five day motorcycle tour of Vermont in which a gang of “business bikers” (comprised of investors, entrepreneurs and business advisors) ride around the state and stop in various towns to listen to entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts, will be held August 1 through August 5, 2016. The tour will stop in Essex Junction, Rutland, Bennington, Brattleboro, Barre, Randolph, St Johnsbury, Lowell, Hyde Park and North Hero. At each of the 10 stops the riders will award a “Riders Choice Prize” of $500 and a special edition “Vermont Biker Bear” contributed by Vermont Teddy Bear. Each stop is open to public viewing.

Entrepreneurs interested in pitching their concept or business to the riders should visit www.roadpitch.co, review the schedule and contact a local organizer to apply for a pitch slot.

Cairn Cross at the podium stop in South Hero in 2015. VBM photos.

New this year is a final statewide “Pitch-Off” event which will be held the evening of October 8th sponsored by and held at Champlain College. The Riders Choice winners from around the state will be invited to pitch for a grand prize of $4,000 and a year’s worth of mentoring from the Road Pitch Riders.

“We are pleased that Champlain College has agreed to host the brand new final Road Pitch Pitch-Off event during Innovation Week in Burlington” said Cairn Cross, Road Pitch Founder and Co-Founder of FreshTracks Capital, “The final event will bring together the best pitches from the summer’s Road Pitch for one final pitch competition. As with our other Road Pitch events the final event is open to the public.”

“We are able to offer these prizes through the generous sponsorship provided by Vermont Department of Economic Development, Champlain College, Burlington Bytes, Key Bank, Gallagher Flynn and Company, Vermont Small Business Development Center, Dinse, Vermont Business Magazine, Moulton Law Group, DesignBook, Milk Money, Merritt and Merritt, North Country Angels, Champlain Mini Makers Faire, and LaunchVT” said Cross, “each of these sponsors plays a key role in the statewide entrepreneurial ecosystem and we are happy for their support.”

Last year riders listened to 40 pitches from a wide variety of Vermont entrepreneurial companies including food and beverage product companies, software companies, advanced manufacturing companies and natural products companies. This year the riders expect to listen to 50 pitches in total. Lt. Governor Scott rode along with the riders on day three of the 2015 event.

The goals of Road Pitch are to connect Vermont entrepreneurs to resources such as capital and advice, advocate for entrepreneurs throughout the state, help entrepreneurs polish and refine their pitching skills, showcase entrepreneurship through a highly visible annual event, find investible opportunities for private investors and source capital for entrepreneurial businesses, and promote motorcycle touring in Vermont while having fun and riding safely.

“Road Pitch introduced us to both investors and other local entrepreneurs who in the past year have helped our company grow to the point where we could expand into having our own shop, new contracts, and hiring employees” said Erik Cooper co-founder of M/E Design a 2015 Road Pitch presenter, “We look forward to participating more in Road Pitch events, encouraging new talent to step forward, and hopefully one day being on the other side of the presentation.”

About Road Pitch:

Road Pitch is a multi-day motorcycling event where motorcyclists with investing, business advising or entrepreneurial experience ride through Vermont stopping in small towns to listen to entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts. Riders provide advice, connect the entrepreneurs with resources where appropriate, and occasionally make an investment in a business opportunity. The ride also promotes Vermont as a terrific place to do business as well as a perfect motorcycling destination with lots of scenic twisting roads, picturesque small towns, and plenty of locally sourced food and beverage. Road Pitch was founded in 2014 by Cairn Cross co-founder of FreshTracks Capital.